Anna Jonesboro Community High School District 81 Board of Education met Oct 17.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Anna Jonesboro Community High School held its regular meeting, it was called to order by President Dr. Blakely. Upon roll call at 6:03 p.m. the following members were present: Dr. Blakely, Mr. McGrath, Mr. Vosburgh, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Hughey, Dr. Reach, and Mrs. Thompson.
On motion by Mr. Vosburgh and seconded by Mr. Bailey to approve the Agenda. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Dr. Reach and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve the Consent Agenda which contained the following items: approval of board minutes on 9/19/22; approval of closed session minutes; approval of payment for bills, accepted resignation of Mstt Denny as Girls Basketball Coach, approved the publication of the Annual Statement of Affairs, and acceptance of financial reports. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
Student Council: Good evening my name is Avery Osman. I am this year's Student Council President and for the second year in a row the homecoming coordinator. This year our theme was Let's Get Wild, which was a jungle theme. The Student Council worked very hard to put on the parade, coronation, and the dance. We had over 90 people enter the homecoming parade on Friday. That evening at the football game we held coronation at half time. That evening Jenna Sadler and Hayden Ralls were announced our homecoming queen and king. The dance was again very successful. We held it outside again this year. In preparation, the Student Council paid to have three tree stumps and one bush removed. We decorated the venue and made it into a complete jungle adventure with waterfalls, trees, and animals. We sold over 375 tickets for this year's dance. The Student Council is very grateful for all of the support we received from the school and the community in assisting towards the success of this event. We will be hosting a blood drive on October 26th in the lower gym.
Mrs. Misener and Mrs. Houseman represented the teachers: The National Honor Society was able to collect over 500 items during the Food Drive for the Comfort Closet. Mrs. Misener's class won with a total of 220 items donated. She and her class were rewarded with a breakfast pizza party provided by the club. The National Honor Society and The Comfort Closet appreciate everyone’s generosity. Additionally, The National Honor Society will host a Trick or Treat event at the high school on Oct 29 from 3-6pm. Families can bring their children for candy, photo ops, and games. During this event NHS will collect monetary donations to donate to the WIBH New Coat, New Hope Campaign. Beta Club has been active this year volunteering at several events. They have volunteered at a function put on by the City of Anna at the fire department and the Family EcoFest at Alto Vineyards. They also participated in Paint my Town at the ColorFest this past weekend. They will be volunteering at the Cops and Bobbers, Hooks and Ladders fishing event hosted by the City of Anna at the City Park on Oct 22 and on Nov 7 at the Salute the Veterans dinner at the Anna Arts Center and they will work to help get the venue cleaned and spruced up before the event. They are also working on planning a couple holiday babysitting nights so parents have the opportunity to do their holiday shopping without having to worry about their kids! On Tuesday, October 11, Maria Garcia, from Premier Architecture Design and Build in Murphysboro, spoke with Spanish classes about Mexican art, architecture, and culture. She shared her educational and cultural background. She also told students how she achieved her degree/s and answered questions about design diversity within Mexico. Spanish Club is selling bracelets and small purses as a service project. The club is partnering with The Pulsera Project, a non-profit organization that pays Nicaraguan artisans a salary for their work. The bracelets and small purses are hand-made. Throughout our sales two weeks, we chart our sales and can see how much our efforts support education, employment, and housing in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Bracelets can be purchased for $7 and purses for $15. Spanish Club is selling before and after school, at lunch, and at athletic events. Further, WSIL TV interviewed Isabel Tehandon and Ms. Corbit about the Pulsera Project. Ms. Maze’s Civics classes joined in on a zoom call with former student Hannah Reach. Hannah discussed immigration law, some of the struggles individuals face when trying to come into the United States, and reasoning’s why individuals migrate to new nations. Students were very excited to hear from Hannah about these stories as they had just learned about the immigration process. GSA celebrated National Coming Out Day on October 11th by wearing bracelets, pins, and stickers. GSA students also gave away free candy during lunch with a positive card of affirmation to our student body. GSA students also learned about celebrities who have come out over the years, from the first openly gay actor to today’s celebrities. GSA sold hot chocolate at PROWL and were excited by the positive feedback they received from the community. Several alumni had stated it was great to see them more visible and wish they would have had a GSA club when they were in High School. Ms. Maze’s classes have been learning about the importance of student involvement within our school, local and federal communities. Students are currently researching areas of improvement within our building. Students conducted a survey last week to see what areas were in need of the most improvement, offerings of electives, and the impact of homework on a students mental health. Ms. Maze is having speakers come in over the next few days to talk about these issues. Mrs. Miller came in on Thursday to discuss the Master Schedule and the possibility of including more electives. Dr. Reach is scheduled to come in on Tuesday to discuss issues being brought before the school board and how to address issues within our school community. Mrs. Detering is also coming in on Tuesday during a different class period to discuss how she and Mrs. Ashby worked together to create Hadley’s Haven. Students have been very excited and engaged to learn how they can make a difference and be more involved in their communities. Mrs. Miller & Ms. Webb took about 35 students to tour SEMO’s campus on September 29th. Students were able to hear an admissions presentation, learn about programs and financial aid, tour campus, and eat on campus. This was a great opportunity for students to explore SEMO in more depth, and many students returned from the visit excited about SEMO or with good questions to help inform their college decisions. On October 6th, Miller & Webb took about 50 students to the Shawnee Senior Experience, where they had the opportunity to explore Shawnee Community College programs related to their interests. The other seniors used that day to visit college campuses of their choice and to job shadow. Carrie Davis of Shawnee Community College and Amelia Blakely of ISAC continue to have weekly office hours in the building where they meet with students to assist them in preparing for their postsecondary goals. Bryan Crain from Crain Funeral Home spoke to Mrs. Misener’s BioMed class about autopsies and preparation of bodies for cremation and embalming. He also spoke about the business of running a funeral home, and what one might expect if they were to go into that field of work. The Art Club participated in the Homecoming Parade and did face painting at the Prowl. The club donated money for one Homecoming Dance ticket so that a student in need could go. Officer Leek asked clubs to participate in the Hooks and Ladders event which takes place this Saturday at the Anna Park. Art club students made fish molds so that children can press air-dry clay into the mold and have something to take home with them. The Art Club will also be doing face painting at the Bald Knob Cross on Sunday for the Fall Colors Event. The AJCHS Education Association also participated in the Homecoming parade. SEL committee members were astounded at the 56 Wildcat WOW nominations for the month of September. September’s word of the month was Compassion, and acts of compassion did not go unnoticed! Students received a certificate and a voucher for free ice cream from Dairy Queen. Staff members received a certificate and a free drink from Hebrewz Coffeehouse compliments of Anna State Bank. October’s word of the month is Respect. September’s Wildcat WOW recipients were: Aiden Colson, Hunter Brown, Ally Simmons, Kosie Tripp, Seth Hamel, Jaylen Althoff, Kayleigh Wheaton, Raelynn Sadler, Jayda Shepard, Broc Silliman-Dunn, Lindsey Hill, Carter Beanland, Mrs. Chamness, and Mrs. Treece. Honorable Mentions included:
Alexis Houseman, Kansas Craig, Drake Bible, Maggie Gooden, Madison Moore, Alexandria Keller, Raegan Jones, Ethan Hansen, Brookelynn Barnhart, Levi Jones, Mrs. Moser, Ms. Brumleve, Mr. Corbit, Ms. Maze, Mr. Horn, Wes Penrod, Mrs. Detering, Mrs. Fitzgerald-Wilson, and Mrs. Howell. Ms. Stokes’ classes are currently engaged in travel writing. Each student has picked a place where they have been in the past to write about. The objective is to convince the class or guests to Southern Illinois to visit this place in the near future. We have asked a number of speakers to present to us this month. So far, we have had a very honest and in depth conversation with Mr. Wiseman and this week, we welcome a member from the Red, White and Blue (veteran/civilian community group). At the end of October, we will have a board member from The Trail of Tears Association and nature enthusiast, Hiking with Shawn. I would like to publicly thank our nurse, Brooke, for helping four of our seniors get certified in CPR this month. I appreciate your help in getting them more prepared for real life as adults and parents.
Special Education Report:
8/22: 102 AJCHS Students with specialized instruction.
- 81 attend AJCHS
- 12 are Choate students (8 attend TriCo. Center School, 4 attend Choate Forensics Unit)
- 1 AJCHS student attends TriCo. Center School (needs more supports)
- 3 AJCHS attend Murphysboro High School Reach Program
- 5 attend Eurma Hayes
10/22: 95 AJCHS Students with specialized instruction
- 77 attend AJCHS (2 revoked, 1 moved to another school, 1 moved to 504)
- 12 Choate students (has not changed)
- 1 AJCHS at Center (has not changed)
- 3 AJCHS at MHS (has not changed)
- 2 at Eurma Hayes (1 revoked, 2 moved)
Curriculum Director Finders spoke about Illinois School Report Card Information, Aimsweb Testing, and Professional Development.
Principal Detering spoke about failure reports, discipline, and homecoming.
Superintendent Wright reported on our energy contract and an extension on our FY22 Audit. Public Comments: Kerri Jones-Treece and Tim Denny.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and seconded by Dr. Reach for the Board to enter into closed session at 6:46 p.m. for the following reasons (1) the purpose of appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employee of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public to determine its validity. 5ILCS 120/2(c)(1) The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10) On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
Mr. Bailey left meeting at 6:46.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and seconded by Mrs. Thompson to return to regular session at 7:30 p.m. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and Dr. Reach to appoint Tim McGrath as delegate for the IASB Conference. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and seconded by Mrs. Thompson to approve the authorization of the FY23 School Maintenance Program Grant towards renovations of the Student Services Center and reserving local funds to meet the local match requirement. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Dr. Reach and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve Final Reading of the Board Policy Update. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Vosburgh and seconded by Dr. Reach to approve the following volunteer coaches: Boys Basketball: Matt Crain, Wrestling: James Edwards. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Vosburgh and seconded by Mrs. Thompson to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 7:58 p.m. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
https://aj81.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/October-2022-Minutes.pdf
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